If the
most exciting bit is walking to the record shop then the next best thing is the
walk home then expectation of what lies
ahead . You have expectations of what is
to come, the sounds, the feel, the pulse of the music embedded in the grooves
or burnt on the CD. Such predetermined
ideas thoughts either amplify or dampen
the reward you seek once you are in your seat and the record is playing. Within minutes you are
disappointed is the music does not match up to what you had hoped for.
Certainly
I was pleased to find a copy of Apocryphal by the drummer Vinnie Sperrazza (Loyal Label LLCD014). The cover is appealing, the
cardboard case has a nice font on a rich yellow background and a picture that
draws you in. Next in that almost
instantaneous process of evaluation of
potential purchases is , of course , the musicians. Vinnie Sperrazza I have only recently discovered in piano trios (plays Cy Coleman and Barcelona Holiday). As you read the lineup i am comfortable with Loren
Stillman on alto saxophone , someone who is at home with standards and conventional 4/4 groove and Eivind Opsvik on bass. After
hearing Opsvik underpin the upbeat
swinging free Standards by Jackson Moore (2007) and more recently with Nate Wooley
he has remained on my radar. All that left was Brandon Seabrook on guitar, someone who i have not come across before.
So, all in all one guitarist can't overwrite the otherwise positive or pormising attractions. Price is OK, let's buy....
I guess I
expected more swing, more conventional jazz. Certainly, it don’t do any of that. Not knowing Brandon Seabrook I should I was unprepared for the unusual contribution of his electric guitar playing. The tunes, all penned by Sperrazza, are pretty anonymous and Stillman creeps around without much purpose but what upsets is the rock guitar riffing against otherwise harmless meandering. Apochryphal was recently given
a favourable review at Point of
Departure, a compelling web publication run by Bill Shoemaker, featuring
some of the best of jazz critics (http://www.pointofdeparture.org/). The reviewer there was
pleased to highlight the contrasting styles of Stillman with Seabrook. If it
worked for him then I can only blame my
expectations listed above because it sounded
like a badly thought-out idea to me. The
extent to which the band has played together would be worth knowing but I am suspcious that Seabrook was brought in at the last minute and told to wack it up, both in
terms of heat and give an edginess to proceedings. Certainly, without guitar it
wouldn't win awards but at least not upset anyone.
I have little
enthusiasm publishing negative reviews and can only offer those concerned is the feeble excuse that any publicity is useful . The current financial belt–tightening in t experiencehis household , and i dont think i am alone not working in finance led me to consider what sequence of
mental events led me to being so disappointed by this CD.
One further consideration that has to enter
the mental calculus prior to deciding to purchase is the record label. If your tastes are restricted to one a style, say a type of mainstream jazz then you can usually to a know brand. However, seeing a recording on a small independent (presumably home made)
outfit is not necessarily a problem when
free improvisation is sought.
The larger companies that support this style of music are well recognised
but the search for interesting sounds that have yet to reach those familiar labels means you are
prepared to ignore any premonitions that a bedroom concoction hasn’t made the
grade, pace the Jackson Moore Cd
mentioned earlier.
So what
can one do to improve the success rate for unheard CDs ? The opportunity to do your homework is
usually unavailable because you never know
when you are back in town and if the CD will still be there. And numerous other
considerations. Sadly, you are left
thinking that fewer risks must be taken next time. The very opposite of what you seek in the
music itself.
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